Over time each of us loses neurons but there are studies that prove that adults replenish this loss by generating newborn neurons. This regeneration process is impaired in individuals diagnosed with epilepsy. This was stated in a recent research by a team of scientists from theUSC Stem Cell and the USC Neurorestoration Center.
The results of the study have been published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience.
Newborn neurons and epilepsy: this is what happens
“Our study is the first to detail the presence of newborn neurons and an immature version of a related cell type, known as astroglia, in patients with epilepsy.“, he has declared Michael Bonaguidi, assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, gerontology, and biomedical engineering at USC.
“Our findings provide surprising new insights into how immature astroglia could contribute to epilepsy, paving the way for the development of new antiepileptic drugs for millions of people.“, Continued the expert.
The first author Aswathy Ammothumkandy, PhD student in Bonaguidi Laband his colleagues collaborated with USC neurosurgeons Charles Liu And Jonathan Russinwhich often treat patients with seizures that cannot be controlled with drugs. Drug resistance is particularly common with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, or MTLE, and affects one-third of all patients with this form of the disease.. As a result, some patients have to undergo surgery to remove the section of the brain, thehippocampuswhich causes seizures.
“Many patients boldly and generously donate their surgical samples for research to advance our understanding of epilepsy and to develop new and better therapiesSaid Russin, assistant professor of neurological surgery and associate director of the USC Neurorestoration Center. “These patients know better than anyone about the trade-offs involved in current treatment options, which often do not provide adequate seizure control or carry very serious cognitive side effects.“.
Thanks to the surgical samples, the researchers enjoyed a unique opportunity: to be able to study the living brain tissue of patients with epilepsy and compare its microscopic anatomy with post-mortem samples from people without known neurological diseases.
In samples from people with and without epilepsy, scientists looked at newborn neurons, adding new concrete and useful evidence to the ongoing scientific debate about whether adults retain the ability to generate these neurons. In the surgical samples, the longer the patients had had seizures, the fewer these newborn neurons became. Most surprisingly, the surgical samples contained a persistent population of immature astroglia which was not observed in the disease-free samples..
Because the ceret tissue in the surgical samples was still alive, the scientists were able to use it to grow stem cells in the laboratory and test their ability to form newborn neurons and immature astrocytes. In these experiments, a longer disease duration reduced the ability to form newborn neurons and increased the production of immature astroglia, consistent with the team’s observations on surgical specimens..
The team also studied seizure-related electrical activity and found suspicious correlations between where electrical activity was located within the surgical samples and the location and behavior of the astroglial.
“Normally, astroglia are considered support cells, because their job is to create an environment in which neurons can thrive.“, Ammothumkandy said:”But in patients who have lived with epilepsy for many years, immature astroglia may be contributing to both the initiation and modulation of chronic seizures ”.
If this is the case, immature astroglia could be an effective cell type to target by developing an entirely new class of antiepileptic drugs.
“Currently available seizure medications tend to target neurons, so medications that target immature astroglia could greatly expand the options for our patients.Said Liu, professor of neurological surgery, neurology and biomedical engineering, director of the USC Neurorestoration Center and Director of the USC Epilepsy Care Consortium.
“A new class of drugs could combine with current medical and surgical strategies to control seizures without the aggressive surgical removal of parts of the brain that may be critically important for learning, memory and emotional regulation.Liu specified.
Bonaguidi, Liu and Russin originally kicked off the project with pilot funding of an Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Award, which supports faculty pursuing stem cell research collaborations. The study brought together physicians, scientists and engineers from across USC’s Keck School of Medicine, including USC’s Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, USC Neurorestoration Center, and Zilkha Neurogenetic, l epilepsy of the USC Care Consortium, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the USC Davis School of Gerontology, as well as other universities and medical centers.
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